Friday, October 13, 2017

Counterfeits and Unlicensed Sales in the News

Mea Culpa.

I committed one of the cardinal sins of journalism. I printed a story without corroboration. Thankfully, Chanda Veno of Frankfort's State Journal is a much better journalist than I am. She fleshed out the vague story Buffalo Trace released yesterday by finding the New York state public record identifying the Pappy counterfeiter as Charles A. Bahamonde, 32, of New York, who pleaded guilty in New York City Criminal Court to petit larceny, a Class A misdemeanor. He was ordered to pay restitution and remain arrest-free for one year, and is scheduled to be back in court on January 5th.

Veno also uncovered two other cases supporting last Friday's story about selling whiskey without a license. Both cases involved the illegal sale of Van Winkle whiskey. As Veno reported, "Wade Collingsworth, 45, was nabbed by state liquor agents after advertising a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 20-year on Craigslist. At the meet-up, undercover agents purchased the bourbon for an undisclosed amount. The suggested retail price is $169.99. Collingsworth was charged with a misdemeanor."

In the second case, "Bob Monk, also of the Keystone State, was slapped with an $1,800 fine and misdemeanor charges after purchasing a bottle of 12-year Van Winkle Special Reserve for $59.99 plus tax and selling it to an undercover officer for $500 in December 2015."

Congratulations to Chanda Veno and The State Journal for some excellent reporting.

1 comment:

Anonymous
said...

So, let's see... trying to flip your PVW is illegal and you risk getting nabbed. Trying to buy it on Craigslist - also illegal and potentially risky - either you'll get nabbed or cheated with a fake. Paying hundreds or thousands over MSRP while risking all of the above... I just can't find where a non-stupid person could fit into any of these scenarios :)

Personally I'd prefer that it was legal. One could always just deal with people they know and trust.